Haim Saban
Haim Saban (/səˈbɑːn/; Hebrew: חיים סבן‎; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli-American media proprietor, investor, philanthropist, musician, and producer of records, film & television.2 A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an estimated net worth of $3 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 232nd richest person in America. Saban is the founder of Saban Entertainment, producer and distributor of children's television programs in the US such as Power Rangers. He headed up consortiums which purchased the broadcasters ProSiebenSat.1 Media and Univision Communications. He is a major donor to the US Democratic Party and active in pro-Israel political efforts in the US. In March 2017, Saban was honored with the 2,605th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in television. Early Life Saban was born in 1944 in Alexandria, Egypt, to an Egyptian Jewish family. In 1956, the Saban family immigrated to Israel, along with most of the Egyptian Jewish community. Saban was sent to a Youth Aliyah boarding school. Expelled for being a troublemaker, he enrolled in a night school where the principal told him: "You're not cut out for academic studies; you're cut out for making money." Saban is married to Cheryl Lynn (Flor) Saban, with whom he has two children. He also has two stepchildren, Tifany and Heidi Lenhart, an actress. He resides in Beverly Hills, California. Music Career Saban started his career in 1966 as a bass player and manager with the rock band The Lions of Judah (Ha'arayot), which was named after the Lion of Judah in Jewish Scripture. In 1969, Dave Watts from the British band The Tornados joined The Lions. That year, the band traveled to England, performed in night clubs in London and was signed up by Polydor Records. In July 1969, the band appeared on the BBC TV programme Colour Me Pop. The Lions recorded a single, "Our Love's A Growing Thing", but it was not released in the UK due to financial difficulties. The band returned to Israel and Saban focused on being a music promoter. In the early 1970s, Saban moved to France where he worked as a music producer. His clients included Noam Kaniel, Mike Brant and Shuki & Aviva. He also launched a record company with Shuki Levy, Saban Records. In 1978 and 1982, Saban used the pseudonym Kussa for music/lyrics writing credits on four records for which he also served as producer using his real name. Since then, he has frequently used the name Kussa Mahchi for his composing credits on Saban Entertainment productions, including the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" theme song. Saban Entertainment In the United States, he became a television producer, founding Saban Entertainment in 1988. During that time, Haim Saban and partner Shuki Levy became known for soundtrack compositions for children's television programs of the 1980s. Although Levy and Saban composed for their own properties (such as Kidd Video and Maple Town), they scored for other production companies as well (such as Inspector Gadget, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, M.A.S.K., Dinosaucers, Dragon Quest, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess of Power, and Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors). In 1998, The Hollywood Reporter reported that he did not actually compose all the music (totalling 3,700 works in 2008) he is credited for; ten composers threatened to sue and Saban settled out of court. In the 1990s, Saban's company became known for the production of Power Rangers, Masked Rider, VR Troopers and Big Bad Beetleborgs, which were Western adaptations of Japanese tokusatsu shows. In 1996, News Corporation's Fox Children's Productions and Haim Saban's Saban Entertainment merged to form Fox Kids Worldwide. Also in that year, the joint venture purchased the C&D library from Jean Chalopin. With the growing shift in children's television from over-the-air programming blocks to cable channels such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, the two companies sought to launch a competitor that would carry programming from the popular Fox Kids lineup. Eying The Family Channel, News Corp. made an offer to purchase IFE through the joint venture in 1997. On July 23, 2001, Saban announced that he and News Corporation would sell Fox Family Worldwide Inc for $5.3 billion to The Walt Disney Company.24 and on October 24, 2001, the sale was completed16 and the network was renamed ABC Family. Saban profited about $1.6 billion from this sale. Category:Real-world articles